More than a million convicted felons in Florida won their voting rights back.

By miamiherald.com- Nicholas Nehamas

Published: 11/08/2018

Marquis McKenzie knows what he wants to do next: register to vote.

A convicted felon since the age of 16 because of a robbery he committed in 2006, McKenzie has never been able to cast a ballot. Under Florida’s constitution, felons could not vote without seeking approval from the governor and certain cabinet officials.

But on Tuesday Floridians overwhelmingly voted in favor of an amendment that automatically restores voting rights to most felons who have completed their sentences, McKenzie among them. As many as 1.2 million Floridians convicted of felonies are expected to become eligible to vote again.

“I’m going to vote until the day I kick the bucket over,” said McKenzie, 28, an Orlando-area resident who runs a janitorial business and organized voters in support of Amendment 4.